Chinese Zodiac

Previews magalog was kind enough to point out some new upcoming kid-friendly comic book titles — several of which are definitely anthropomorphic. First up is The Mighty Zodiac, written by J. Torres and illustrated by Corin Howell and Maarta Laiho. “When the Blue Dragon dies, six stars fall out of the night sky! Ailing Master Long, leader of the Mighty Zodiac, orders his warriors to gather the stars, lest they fall into the hands of the malevolent Moon Rabbit Army. With the stars, the Mighty Zodiac may yet revive their master, rescue their world, and restore the light. Without the stars, the darkness threatens to divide the tribes and destroy Gaya… ” Got all that? Look for it from Oni Press in early April.

Tales from the Chinese Zodiac is a new series of twelve (of course) full-color illustrated children’s books, each written by Oliver Chin and all of them published by Immedium. In each book we meet on of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac (dog, pig, rat, monkey, etc.) as a youngster, and each of them must learn how to represent their aspect of the zodiac as he or she grows to adulthood. Illustrators for the series include Jeremiah Alcorn, Justin Roth, and Jennifer Wood. Your ever-lovin’ ed-otter especially liked The Year of the Dragon (illustrated by Ms. Wood, and reviewed here on Book Dragon, of course). Not only because 2012 is one, but also because it’s his Chinese Zodiac sign!